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Tenkamusou's Origins [Personal Saga] [Complete]
Topic Started: Apr 2 2011, 10:03 AM (101 Views)
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Chapter 1 – Enter: Dr. Mainlett

Dr. Mainlett wiped a few beads of sweat from his brow as he took his daily walk around the perimeter of Heion Village, his beady eyes surveying the backyards of those who lived on the outskirts of the village. The wrinkles on either side of his eyelids grew more pronounced as he spied his good friend, Mr. Petitlana, sunning himself atop a white-and-mint-checked lawn chair. “Why, hello Angelo!” the aged scientist exclaimed, shuffling over to his friend's backyard gate as Petitlana looked up to acknowledge him.

“Jules! What brings you to this neck of the woods? Let me guess – your morning constitutional?” asked Petitlana, his sly grin telling Dr. Mainlett that he already knew the answer.

“You know me so well... You should come with me sometime and spy on your neighbours! Lying around here all day will make you soft...” cautioned Dr. Mainlett, a twinkle in his eye as he gestured toward Petitlana's prodigious paunch, “Look! It's already happening!” Petitlana responded with a sour face that steadily broke to form yet another grin, and as good-natured as he looked, he became intent on steering the conversation away from his belly.

“Hah-hah... Anyway, Jules, weren't you working on some mysterious new creation that would utterly wow those neighbours you so love to spy on? We're still waiting, you know – this town could use a little excitement.” Petitlana rubbed his stomach self-consciously as he awaited Dr. Mainlett's answer; he'd have to get him back sometime for wounding his pride so!

Dr. Mainlett had already begun to depart when Petitlana asked about his creation, and at first his only response was a wink. “You can't rush genius, my friend! It will be ready when it's ready, and only then will you get the details... Just know that once my mechanical marvel is walking around town, you nor any of the other townspeople will know what you did without it!” Petitlana abruptly snapped his fingers at this point, his eyes alight with the thrill of discovery.

“Aha! So it will WALK!” observed the middle-aged Indian man with bravado. By this time, Dr. Mainlett was already walking away from him, and had responded with a dismissive gesture that he'd thrown over his shoulder. Petitlana lowered himself back into his chair with a chuckle and watched his friend go. “I'll bet he's making himself an android...” he guesses, thinking out loud. He lifted the local newspaper from the springy turf beside him and began to read. “...They're all the rage these days...”

Dr. Mainlett arrived back home without stopping to chat with anyone else; that talk with Petitlana had fuelled in him a desire to complete his greatest life's work as soon as possible. As he kicked off his shoes and directed himself toward his workshop, the photographs on his mantlepiece cause him to falter. Though the sight of them caused a great wave of depression to wash over him, he drew closer and looked more closely at the photo of a young boy. His free hand grasped the one beside it, which depicted a rotund, cheerful-looking woman. After viewing them for a short while, Dr. Mainlett hugged the two framed photographs close to his chest. Tears began to well up in his eyes, soon dribbling down his cheeks and becoming lost in his wiry grey whiskers. He looked up, glancing around his darkened house with the fearfulness of a child; the once-cozy home had housed nothing but he and his demons for several years. They dozed in his son's empty bed, and in the space next to his in Mainlett's own bed... The space that his wife had once occupied. The old man reluctantly replaced the photographs before turning away from his fireplace, his head hung low as he again made his way toward the workshop. Best not to dwell on the problems of yesterday, he thought to himself... Unless one seeks to correct them.

Chapter 2 – The War Boars of Oinkengaard

Commander Hammond tromped into the throne room in full battle garb, though his armour is well-hidden by thick bundles of animal skins. After approaching the throne, he graced his king with a formal salute; his keen eyes roved the throne room as he did so, noting that every war boar in the room was dressed as he was. Even in the throne room one could hear the perpetual, roaring blizzard that battered their kingdom, and every time someboar opened the oak double-door to the room a little more snow would drift inside and settle on the heaps that had formed in every corner. The Commander distracted himself from his kingdom's crisis by getting down to business. “Sscchnnooort... You sent for me, sire?” he grunted, awaiting the king's explanation for his presence.

“Hhrrroink... Indeed.” replied the king, his expression dire, “As you can see, Oinkengaard's situation worsens by the day. By this time next month, everyboar will be buried in snow! This is – schnoooort – totally unacceptable!” The Commander nodded his head in agreement, noisily swallowing a dollop of his nasal secretions as he waited for his king to continue. “Many will take issue with my decision, but I believe it is necessary that we abandon our ancestral home of Oinkengaard for the safety of all our citizens.” Hammond's eyes grew wide upon hearing his king's proposal, frantically voicing his dismay.

“B-but my liege, Oinkengaard has been our home for centuries! And now you suggest that we abandon in just because of a little snow?”

“This blizzard has been going on for almost a decade, and it grows harsher every year! Would you prefer that we cling to our pride and be rendered frozen corpses, or that we strike out with our lives intact and establish a new home?” asked the king, his point so unassailable that Hammond is temporarily rendered silent. After a long pause, the Commander grumbles and reluctantly accepts his king's judgement.

“Fine, fine... I suppose you have some idea as to where our proud people's new home will be?”

“Schhnnnooort... I do. My network of hidden hogs have scouted far and wide in search of a prime candidate, and they have found one south of here on the other side of Baykin Mountain. There is a fertile valley there, untouched by the blizzard. It contains only a single human settlement – Heion Village. Its people know nothing of war. Sacking their community will be child's play for our warriors.” explained the king, gleefully stroking a tusk, “I have brought you here to tell you that you will lead the charge. Set out immediately with every enlisted war boar – our civilians will follow closely behind you, as the occupation of Heion village should not take more than a few hours. You have your orders, Commander. Do not fail me.” Finished with his speech, the king offered a dismissive gesture.

“Ggrrroink... It will be done, sire.” rasped Hammond, turning his back to the throne and making his way out into the snowy hell that his kingdom had become. His company stood at the ready just outside the castle. Hammond gestured for one of his generals to approach.

“Commander.” greeted the general, saluting with vigour.

“Rally the troops – all of them. We march on Heion Village tomorrow at first light.”



Chapter 3 - Awakening

The villagers had no idea that an attack would be made on their village the following morning, and as such every citizen was going about their business as they usually did. All except one, it seemed; Petitlana leaned on his backyard gate, his eyes roving the forest outskirts that Dr. Mainlett usually travelled alongside during his morning walk. The good doctor hadn't shown himself yet, and by Petitlana's watch he was almost an hour late. Though curious, Petitlana couldn't be bothered to leave his backyard and enquire. “Perhaps he slept in...” he mused, returning to his lawn chair to be alone with his paper.

Dr. Mainlett had not slept in. In fact, he'd been up all night. The finishing touches on his android had taken a little longer than he'd anticipated, and before he knew it daylight was streaming in through his workshop window. “Finally... Finished...” he murmured, applying the last daub of red paint to his creation's rosy cheeks. Completely spent, Dr. Mainlett's head sunk down to the surface of his worktable; in the process, his elbow slid off the table and bumped the control switch that would activate the android over the edge. Rather than breaking against the cement floor, the small remote landed button-first and ends up commencing the android's activation sequence! By the time Tenka's eyelids flutter open for the first time, his creator is already snoozing on the table.

“Oh... Oh! What's this?” uttered the little android, rising up into a sitting position and looking down at his snoozing creator. Leaning in a little closer, Tenka takes a look at the old man's wrinkled features. “Hee hee... What a funny face!” he whispered, his tiny snow-white hands gripping Dr. Mainlett's jowls and stretching them for comical effect. Miraculously, the doctor didn't wake up – Tenka soon grew bored and hopped to the floor from his place atop the work table. He went on to take a tour of the elderly scientist's home, at first believing it to be his own. He learned the identity of the house's true owner soon after entering the living room.

“Wow... Looks like all this stuff is made for big people like Mr. Funny Face...” he observed, snapping his fingers as a realization comes to him, “Aha! Maybe this whole place is where he lives... Seems pretty big for just one person, though...” Tenka explored further, scrambling up onto the arm of an armchair in order to get a closer look at the pictures on the mantlepiece. He gingerly lifted one from the mantlepiece and closely examined it; it showed an odd-looking young boy with a big smile on his face. Looking up, Tenka noticed a mirror that occupied the entire wall above the mantlepiece. “Hey... This boy looks just like me.” he said, looking between the photo and his reflection to be sure.

“There's a reason for that.” The voice came from a few feet behind Tenka. As the android turned his head to face the speaker, he soon found that it was none other than Dr. Mainlett himself. “You are an android, modelled after my grandson Chiaotzu. That's him, there; in that picture you're holding.” Tenka suddenly looked ashamed, swiftly placing the framed photo back on the mantlepiece.

“S-sorry! I know I shouldn't touch things that don't belong to me...” murmured Tenka, his eyes downcast. Dr. Mainlett responded by displaying a kindly expression, and uttering a few equally kind words.

“Don't worry about it. This house is your house; I made you to fill the hole that my grandson's absence and my wife's death has left in my heart.” he explained, moving to the space beside Tenka to get a better look at the photographs.

“A hole in your heart???” exclaimed Tenka, clapping a hand over his lips, “Isn't that... Fatal...?” This got a chuckle from the old man, who was quick to set him straight.

“No, no... That's just an expression. When I say I have a hole in my heart, it means I have been deprived of something so important to me that not having it makes me feel incomplete.” he explained, watching with amusement as his creation's eyes glint with the thrill of discovery.

“Ohh, I get it now... Well, in that case, you can count on me to fill all your holes!” proclaimed Tenka, looking quite proud of himself. The old man displayed a distinctive blush at the little android's phrasing.

“Err, heh heh... You might want to put that a different way.” he suggested, rubbing the back of his own neck. Much to Dr. Mainlett's relief, Tenka went on to change the subject.

“So, you said I'm an... An an-durr-oid?” he asked, tilting his head as he tried (and failed) to pronounce the word correctly. Dr. Mainlett nodded, launching into another explanation; his creation seemed quite eager to learn.

“Yes, and before you ask, an android is a being who is at least partially formed from artificial components. In your case, you're entirely built from artificial components, making you a fully-artificial android.” said the doctor, seating himself in the armchair that Tenka occupied the arm of, “I started building you when my wife died, which was about a decade ago. Several years before that, my grandson Chiaotzu left to pursue a career in martial arts... We never heard from him again. When that happened, my wife started wasting away... Eventually she didn't even leave the house anymore. Shortly after that phase in her grief, she died in this very armchair.” Tenka's eyes went wide at the old man's last sentence, and he quickly hopped to the floor.

“C-creepy...” shuddered the android, poking the side of the armchair experimentally.

“Hah! Calm down, calm down – I was only joking. Actually she died in the tub, and you never need to fret about visiting that awful place. The surface of your body is self-cleaning. See?” Upon explaining this fact to Tenka, he touched his fingertip to the android's bare forearm and rubbed it around until it left an oily, distinct fingermark behind. Tenka watched in awe as the mark dissipated almost immediately.

“Wow! That's amazing!” exclaimed Tenka, peering closer at the spot the fingermark had been, “But... Where does the dirt go after it disappears like that?”

“An excellent question.” replied Dr. Mainlett, suddenly looking very proud about his workmanship on this little scientist, “It is pulled apart into molecules inside your body, which are released whenever you use ki energy. Ki energy is what composes your most powerful attacks, and most attacks will be hot enough to incinerate any waste matter you might release in the process... So you won't be getting your opponents dirty, you understand.” The old man had never expected to manufacture a mind as inquisitive as his own, yet his creation's zeal for scientific discovery continued to surprise him at every turn; throughout the conversation, Dr. Mainlett found his smile widening more and more with every passing minute.

“You thought of everything!” gushed the android, supposing that there wasn't a man on the planet smarter than his creator. For the first time, Tenka felt desire; he longed for something that only the old man could give him. After coming around to the front of Dr. Mainlett's armchair and tugging at his pantleg, he made his request. “Can I know more about how you built me?” he asked, his eyes wider than they'd been since his awakening.

“Of course!” replied Dr. Mainlett, rising from his armchair and taking the android's hand. He leads Tenka down the longest hallway in the house. The walls on either side were bare and devoid of thresholds, but a single doorway stood at the very end of it. “You're in for a treat! I'm about to show you a way to learn that is much faster than talking to an old man like me – books don't ramble or forget things, so I'm sure you'll find them much better instructors.”

“Books?” asked Tenka, not yet knowing what the word even meant. He understood the moment Dr. Mainlett threw open the door at the end of the hall. Beyond it was a room cluttered with nothing but books, and a single computer that was buried in books. Tenka slowly stepped into the room and picked up the book nearest him, reading its title out loud. “The Challenges of Maternity.” he read, turning to Dr. Mainlett and making a face.

“My wife bought that one when we were a young couple. It helped her through the process of raising Chiaotzu's mother – I believe it got the most use when our daughter was in her teenage years.” explained Dr. Mainlett, gesturing toward the cluttered bookshelves that covered all but one wall of the room. “You'll find much more interesting books on those shelves... I'm sure you'll find the dictionary particularly helpful. Now, while you're in here, I'll head over to the kitchen and makes us some sandwiches.” offered the elderly man, moving to close the door behind him before he remembered something and poked his head back into the room. “By the way, my name is Dr. Mainlett. Your name is Tenkamusou, or Tenka for short. Tenkamusou means 'greater than all others under the sky'.” With that, Dr. Mainlett formed another of his trademark kindly expressions and closed the door behind him.

Chapter 4 – Magic Sandwiches

Tenkamusou had finished with every book in the library in 45 minutes, and had indeed found the dictionary to be the most enlightening. He opened the door and tromped down the hall, now knowing what sandwiches were; though he was incapable of experiencing hunger, he longed to know what “two or more slices of bread or the like with a layer of meat,fish, cheese, etc., between each pair.” tasted like. When he arrived in the kitchen, Dr. Mainlett greeted him with a smile. The doctor was frying some bacon and eggs, a plate next to his elbow already piled up with buttered toast.

“Hello there, little scholar. Finished with the books already?” he asked, not looking away from the pan as he scrambled the eggs with a spatula.

“Indubitably!” chirped the android, sliding into a seat at the kitchen table, “That smells so good! If I had the glands for it, I'd be salivating!” Dr. Mainlett chuckled, shovelling the crispy bacon onto the plate. Tenka watched as the old man temporarily left the pan alone and grabbed a small container from the spice rack, shaking a fine, brown powder onto the buttered side of two pieces of toast. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Tenka. “Dr. Mainlett.” he started, clasping his hands atop the table's surface, “May I call you father?” Dr. Mainlett set down the container for a moment, his shoulders quivering a bit; though Tenka couldn't see it, he lifted one arm to wipe a tear from his eye.

“I would be honoured.” replied Tenka's father in a voice on the brink of cracking, trying to distract himself from his joy by returning his attention to the scrambled eggs. Tenka watched with interest as his father went about constructing a pair of sandwiches. First he shovelled some scrambled eggs onto the pieces of toast that had been buttered and covered in brown powder, closely followed by a few strips of bacon that balanced precariously on top of the scrambled eggs. Finally, the good doctor pressed another slice of toast down on top of the bacon and cut both sandwiches into two triangles apiece. With that done, he moved over to the table and set down the plate between himself and Tenka. “These were my wife's speciality – Magic Sandwiches, she called them. Buttered toast, cinnamon-sugar, scrambled eggs, and bacon. I can't make them like she could, but I think you'll enjoy it nonetheless.”

“Thanks!” replied the android gratefully, grabbing one of the delicious-looking triangles and taking a large bite. Dr. Mainlett watched with amusement as a dreamy expression of pure enjoyment crossed his creation's features. “S-s... So good...” murmured Tenka through his first mouthful of good food; his reaction was so sincere that the doctor was instantly motivated to bite into a goodness-infused triangle himself. The two of them ate in silence for about half a minute, which was all the time it took for Tenka to wolf down his entire sandwich. The old man had nearly finished the first half of his own, and could see that the little android was intensely eyeing his untouched half.

“Hoh-hoh, you can have it if you want.” he offered, the sides of his eyes crinkling as Tenka snatched the final triangle and bolted it down in seconds flat. Satisfied, the elderly man popped the last bite of his own half-sandwich into his mouth and swallowed it soon after. “I never get tired of these... There have been times over the years when the only food in my fridge has been bread, eggs, and bacon.” he admitted, lifting a napkin to his lips and wiping a chunk of egg from his beard. Tenka leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach, releasing a contented sigh in the process. “I'm afraid the waste left over from food needs to be excreted from your body the old-fashioned way.” cautioned Dr. Mainlett, taking the crummy plate over to the sink and rinsing it thoroughly.

“The old-fashioned w- Ooh, yeah. I read about that!” recalled Tenka. Once the dish was washed and put away again, Dr. Mainlett returned to the table and heaved a happy sigh of his own. “Well, we still have the whole afternoon to look forward to... Since you were only activated this morning, it might be a good idea to run some diagnostic tests. I'll tell you what; I'm a little tired from being up all night, so while I'm taking a nap why don't you introduce yourself to some of our fellow townspeople? Offer to help them. Get some exercise. When you return, I'll check over the data you've accumulated from running around all afternoon and we can make sure there aren't any bugs in your system. Sound good?”

“Sounds great!” replied Tenka, who had begun to feel a little cooped-up after being confined to the house all morning.

“Now, the name of this place is Heion Village. You should introduce yourself as my newest creation – most everyone in town will treat you in a friendly manner if you do. A good place for you to start would be the local martial arts academy; it's rather famous in this region for making competent fighters of its students. I heard the instructor was having trouble finding a suitable opponent to spar with, so that his pupils might learn from example. I think you'd fill that role quite nicely.”

“But, father...” said Tenka, appearing unsure, “I don't know how to fight.” This caused the old man to chuckle good-naturedly yet again.

“I wouldn't worry about it; such things will come naturally to you. Now, off you go! When you return I'll fix us something that I know you'll like... Hot chocolate!” Tenka nodded, already very interested in trying this unknown delicacy. The little android hopped out of his chair and offered his father a wave before heading for the front door, which he opened and closed behind him. Standing in the bright sunlight, Tenka winced as his eyes roved the village square; what adventures would await him in Heion Village?

Word Count - 3867 (The rest will be done soon!)
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Chapter 5 – Sparring

Tenkamusou had barely taken ten steps before he got someone's attention. As he walked across the village square, a look of childlike wonder on his face, every villager with a view of the square found themselves staring at the little android. This was soon followed by gossip, some of which Tenka was able to hear.

“Hey, isn't that Chiaotzu?”

“Nonsense! Chiaotzu died five years ago!”

“Really? I heard he was fighting alongside some of Earth's greatest heroes...”

“I heard he entered a beauty pageant and won first place!”

“...”

“Err... Sorry. I was just trying to fit in...”

Fed-up with being confused with Chiaotzu, Tenka turns to face the gaggle of gossipers who had gathered in a group to gawk. “I'm not Chiaotzu! I'm Tenkamusou! I'm an android created by Dr. Mainlett!” he exclaimed, his little hands on his hips as he fixed the ill-informed townspeople with a defiant glare.

“Mainlett made an android that looks like his grandson? Weird!”

“Yeah, that guy's obsessed. Chiaotzu left the village so long ago – anybody in their right mind would have moved on by now!”

“I wonder if he can do tricks...”

“...”

“Sh-shut up! I'm popular!”

Tenkamusou was gradually getting more and more frustrated with these rude people speaking ill of his father. Out of anger, the little android stomps the ground with one foot; to everyone's surprise, the ground shakes noticeably as if it the village was being buffeted by a small earthquake. “Don't talk about my father that way! He's a nice man, and he'd never talk behind your backs like you're doing to him!” shouted Tenka, his glare softening once he noticed that the gossips were clearly scared out of their wits.

“Ahh.. Hehe! What a nice kid!”

“Yeah! No way he's Chiaotzu, either! I don't remember Chiaotzu shaking the ground like that!”

“Let's all be super-nice to him from now on! Another earthquake like that would shatter all the porcelain in my house...”

“I think I just peed a little!”

“...”

“Erk... Now there go my bowels...”

With that, the assorted bad-talkers skittered away into another part of town, with the intention of avoiding the android for the rest of their lives. Tenka watches them go with a bewildered expression on his face. “What an odd bunch... First they're mean, then they're scared, then they're all nice 'n' peeing themselves. I have a lot to learn about humans...” he surmised, turning on his heel and continuing his journey through the village.

After walking for a few minutes, Tenka arrived at the edge of town. He stood before a grassy, rolling hill that had a small path which ran between the village and a moderately large, wooden building. Tenka read the sign on the front of this building, which displayed only one word; “DOJO”. “Aha! This must be the martial arts school that father was telling me about. I'll be able to get some exercise here for sure!” said the android, so excited about his upcoming experiences that he ran at full-speed along the path toward the fighter's academy. When he arrived at the top of the hill, he discovered that a large, sand-covered circle was at the end of the path. The only adult present was the martial arts instructor; he stood in the middle of the circle, lecturing his students, who sat around the outside of the circle listening attentively.

“My students, listen well, for I am about to reveal the true essence of the warrior with my eloquent words of outstanding truthfulness!” proclaimed the instructor, who seemed to be adding dramatic effect to his words by performing strange hand-gestures with every syllable. “The warrior is a swan of destructive power, swooping down upon his enemies to hand down swift justice! He has the patience of a dung beetle who pushes an enormous ball of excrement uphill for eleven days, stopping only to dine on rice cakes and spring water! Also, he is NOT A GIRL!” cried the instructor abruptly, whipping out a fan and furiously fanning himself while his free hand pointed accusingly at his only female student. The girl looked down, blushing furiously.

The instructor continued. “The path of the warrior is winding and unending; in fact, it ends only with the death of his ultimate foe... Himself...” At this point, the instructor paused and allowed his eyes to close. A collective “Ooooohhhh...” arose from his students, whose blank expressions told Tenka that they didn't understand a word their teacher had just said. Suddenly, the girl that had just been singled-out by her instructor stood, and proceeded to give him a piece of her mind.

“Master, when are we going to learn martial arts? All we've been doing for two years is listening to you speak about the warrior's nature – why can't we fight?” she implored, which garnered a haughty glare from her master.

“None of you are ready for combat! Your punches could scarcely break the surface of the pond; to be a talented fighter, one must fully understand the warrior's nature before performing a single strike! That you question my methods only proves further than your gender can never master martial arts as a man can!” bellowed the instructor, which caused the girl to swiftly sit down again and cast a furtive glance toward the ground.

“Now, as I was saying...” started the schoolmaster, only to be interrupted by Tenka.

“Excuse me, sir, but my father told me that you needed someone of equal strength to spar with as an example for your students... I was hoping I could be your sparring partner.” offered the android, assuming a fighting stance. The master shot him a glare as he'd done to his pupil; clearly he did not like being interrupted.

“Is that so?” he began, rushing toward the android and speaking his next words in a low voice that only Tenka could hear. “Listen, kid. That's just a stall – something I told these kids so I wouldn't have to teach them anything. As long as they're here, their parents keep paying me – so just shut your trap and get out of here, will you? I'll even cut you in on this sweet little deal if you just go away.”

“But... Isn't that wrong?” he asked, too naive to fully understand the machinations behind the master's scheme. The instructor danced away from him, back into the centre of the circle.

“Ahahahaha! Wrong? Stop speaking gibberish, child! I ask whether orphans should be adopted by nice people, and you ask if it's wrong? What a joke! Clearly you know very little of the world!” gibbered the instructor, attempting to fan away the sweat that had begin to build on his brow. The female student's arms are crossed by this point, her eyes fixed on her instructor, her gaze oozing suspicion. “But, because I'm such a nice guy, I'll humour you. Let's have a match! Who knows, maybe these useless children will actually learn something! Come at me with everything you've got!” The master shuffles to one end of the circle and assumes a fighting stance as the little android makes his way to the other end of the circle.

“Okay... I've never fought before, so I hope I can keep up.” said Tenka, which brought a wily smile to the instructor's face. Without warning, Tenkamusou leaped across the circle with blinding speed, seizing the master's forearm and flipping him over his head. The instructor landed face-down in the sand with a resounding “THUMP!”, his limbs twitching visibly as the shock of the impact resonates throughout his body. Tenka's lips form a wide smile as the students begin to laugh uproariously, a sound which quickly spurs their instructor back to his feet.

“Yyyaaaargh... You little brat! We hadn't started yet! Didn't your father teach you to fight fair?” shouted the martial arts master, cradling his aching head.

“But... You said...” stammered the android, only to be cut-off by more yelling from the master.

“Never mind what I said! This time, no cheating!” he exclaimed, and ran at Tenka with his arms outstretched. It's then that Tenka notices a few odd things about the instructor; his gait seemed stiff and wooden, his arms looked a little short... And when he wasn't constantly fanning himself, his face looked strangely... Artificial. As the martial arts instructor barrelled toward him, Tenka braced himself. The android ducked beneath his opponent's flailing arms and performed a swift leg-sweep; to his surprise, the blow to the instructor's legs ends up snapping his forelegs in half! Tenka watched with confusion as the master falls to the side, leaving his feet behind.

“Hey! Those aren't real legs – they're made of wood!” cried the female student, pointing toward the splinters that now littered the ground around the instructor's feet. Curious, Tenka lifted one of the master's pant legs to look beneath... And found another foot, the underside of which was glued to the top of a long wooden shaft!

“They're fake feet!” observed the android, “He's actually much shorter than he led us to believe! And there's something funny about his face, too...” With that, Tenka reached down to the master's face and found that it was made of some sort of rubbery material; after tugging on it for a few seconds, the mask fell away to reveal cruel eyes, sharp tusks, and a broad snout. “He... He's a pig...” murmured Tenka, causing cries of bewilderment to erupt from the students.

“Schnooort – I'm a war boar, thank you very much!” grunted the faux martial arts master, scrambling to his true feet and snapping off the remainder of the wooden shafts in the process. “I'm among the elite of Oinkengaard's cabal of hidden hogs! I see no harm in telling you the truth – after all, this village will be wiped off the map by our king and the great commander Hammond tomorrow morning! I doubt you could mount any sort of defence with such little notice!” bellowed the war boar in a gleeful tone.

“The village... Destroyed?” repeated Tenka, taken aback by this new development. His surprise gave the hidden hog the chance he needed to make his escape; the spy tossed a smoke bomb, and by the time the smoke had cleared he was nowhere to be seen. “I need to tell my father!” said Tenka, dashing off toward his home; he's stopped short by a hand as tiny as his own grasping his wrist.

“Please wait!” implored the female student, offering a smile when Tenka looked her way. “My name is Suki Kankyou... I wanted to thank you for exposing our former master for the fraud he is... Also, my father taught me a little about how to fight. I will stand with you tomorrow morning, when we come under attack from those pig-like things.” Tenka returned the smile, giving a quick nod before he broke free of her grasp and took off running in the direction of Dr. Mainlett's abode.

Chapter 6 – Mounting a Defence with Little Notice

Dr. Mainlett had been awakened after only a few short hours of sleep, yet he found himself out with the rest of the villagers in the middle of the night as they erected a sturdy barricade. The villagers who hadn't met Tenka the day before had met him now, and had even taking quite a liking to him; after all, he could sharpen sticks and jam them into the ground around the perimeter of the village much faster than anyone else could. Once the barricade is complete, Tenka locates his father to inform him of the village-defence project's progress.

“The barricade is finished; I was thinking I'd go help the blacksmith craft weapons for all the villagers now.” said Tenka, hovering a few feet away from his creator.

“Excellent – hopefully they won't have to use them. You'll be our first line of defence, Tenka, and if the diagnostic results from yesterday are any indication, you should have no problem taking out an army of pigs by yourself.” replied Dr. Mainlett.

“Alright. I met a girl at the martial arts school who said she wanted to fight beside me – Suki was her name. I suppose we'll both stand at the front lines together.”

“Suki, eh?” replied Dr. Mainlett, wiggling his eyebrows comically, “I know her... Lives with her mother on the other side of town. She's a cute one! Do I hear wedding bells?” This brought a blush to Tenka's face; evidently his creator had really been going for realism in Tenka's facial expressions.



“F-father, please...” he mumbled, averting his eyes, “I only met her yesterday. Besides, I'm an android...”

“What does that have to do with anything? I built you to be physically compatible with humans in every way – EVERY way.” repeated Dr. Mainlett, winking as Tenka's blush became even more prominent.

“I... Ahh... Swords.” replied Tenka lamely, floating off toward the blacksmith's in an attempt to save himself further embarrassment. Once he arrived there, the blacksmith welcomed him with open arms. As the next hours proved, had it not been for Tenka, not even half of the village would have been equipped for battle! With the android's help, the job was completed just before dawn. Overnight, a barrier of sharpened sticks had been erected, the doors and windows of every structure had been boarded-up for the safety of children huddled inside, and every able-bodied citizen came to stand at the village's entrance with a weapon or two. Before long, it was time for Tenka and Suki to form the front line.

“I suggest you make your way along the path, and stand just on the other side of that hill.” said Dr. Mainlett, gesturing toward the area he'd indicated, “They're bound to approach along the path.” Tenka responded with a nod, and began running toward his destination with Suki by his side.

“Do you think we can beat them, Tenka?” asked Suki, having been informed of Tenkamusou's android nature. The fact that he was built of mechanical parts didn't seem to bother her. To the contrary; she seemed to only be more interested in him now.

“Of course! We can't afford to lose – the village must be protected at all costs, and it will be.” said Tenka with the goal of reassuring Suki; it seemed to work, because the moment he spoke those words her face brightened substantially. They carried on down the path in silence for a moment, Tenka's brow knitting in concern. “Are you sure you want to come with me? It will probably be very dangerous – and I haven't even seen you fight, so I don't know how well you'll hold up against an army of angry pigs.”

“I can take care of myself; let's just leave it at that.” replied Suki, winking and giggling as Tenka glanced her way.

Chapter 7 – Boar War

Commander Hammond was the first to see his pint-sized opposition, being at the head of the war boar company. As he approached, they went from being tiny specks to slightly less-tiny specks; once he's standing a few feet away from them, he can't help but laugh. “Schnoooort! This is our opposition? A little girl and a little makeup-wearing boy?” he jeered, causing an eruption of snorts and chuckles to arise from his company.

“It's not makeup! I was born this way!” replied Tenka angrily, little hands balling into fists.

“Oooh... Your daddy must've been a mime, then!” snorted a member of Hammond's troop, which set of all the boars laughing again. Suddenly, Suki stepped forward with a glare that she'd previously reserved for her imposter of a martial-arts instructor.

“You leave Tenka alone! At least he's not a big, smelly pig!” she shouted, which caused the boars' laughter to die away immediately. Commander Hammond stepped forth with a grim expression on his face.

“You never – NEVER – call a war boar a pig, missy.” growled the Commander, lifting one hoof and bringing it down swiftly in an attempt to cuff Suki's head. To everyone's surprise, Suki leaped into the air and delivered a strong kick to the boar's wrist; an audible snapping sound rings out, shortly followed by the Commander bawling in agony. His fellow boars are roused immediately, charging Suki with the intent of pulverizing the little warrior. Though she dispatched the first few boars with ease, Tenka could see that their sheer numbers were quickly overwhelming her.

“Suki! Get behind me!” cried Tenka, holding out one hand and using his other to steady his arm. Suki dashes behind the android and throws herself to the ground. The boars charged directly toward Tenka, only a few feet from his outstretched hand before the android loosed a battle cry.

“FULL POWER ENERGY WAAAAVE!” shouted Tenkamusou, a massive beam of energy erupting from his hand and smashing into Hammond's forces with unbelievable power. Several boars are thrown clear, but many are caught on the beam and are therefore carried all the way to the nearby mountains before expiring in a big, dusty collision. By the time the dust has cleared, every boar is dead save for one; Commander Hammond had ducked the blast by kneeling down to nurse his swollen wrist.

“We just wanted a new home...” he murmured miserably, “Just wanted to escape the constant blizzards... Ohh, Oinkengaard... We should have stayed with you to the end...”

“Your old home has constant blizzards?” asked Tenka, blinking and looking toward the mountains the army of pigs had come from.

“Yes... For years, now. We were going to conquer your village and take it as our own... I never thought it would all fall apart because of a little boy!” he grunted, gazing up at Tenka with hate-filled eyes. Suki gently tugged on Tenka's sleeve, motioning toward the path behind Hammond. A group of war boars even larger than the army was making its way toward the village; Tenka's enhanced vision allowed him to notice that the group was mainly composed of women and children.

“Our citizens...” breathed Hammond, rising to his feet and glancing toward the incoming boars, “...And our king.” The Commander saluted the moment his king drew near, soon bringing his injured wrist to the attention of the royal doctor. Meanwhile, the king stepped forward to confront Tenka.

“Are you the one responsible for eliminating my men?” asked the king gruffly, staring Tenka down.

“Yes. But it was in self-defence.” answered the android.

“He did it all single-handedly, my liege – with one blast!” added the Commander, who was in the process of having his wrist bandaged.

“I see. Well, there's nothing we can do. Our army is destroyed – it appears as if our proud race is destined to become nomadic.” said the king, bringing tears to the eyes of several subjects.

“There is another way.” began Tenka, smiling, “Your people can live in Heion village for the time being. My father is a great scientist – he can probably come up with a way to stop the blizzards so that your people can return home.” The king's eyes widen at this proposition; he still appeared somewhat wary.

“You would do this for a band of strangers? Strangers who attempted to steal your home, no less?” asked the king, following his question with a small grunt.

“Even if I considered you my enemy, I'd give you the same offer. Acting and reacting violently does nothing but create a cycle of pain; it is when we forgive and embrace peace that the cycle is broken.” said Tenka, and with that, the king and the android shook hands.

Chapter 8 – A Happy Ending

Tenka, Dr. Mainlett, Suki, and Dr. Mainlett's stunning new beau were all assembled on the front lawn. Ever since accepting the boars into Heion village, Tenka had been adamant about spreading peace and goodwill to everyone in the universe; after much convincing, Dr. Mainlett had finally decided to let him go.

“I realize that I can't hold you back, Tenkamusou... I made you to fulfil my need for company, but I'd be a selfish father indeed if I denied you your needs. I just know that you'll make the world a better place!” said Dr. Mainlett, leaning down to give Tenka a warm hug.

“Sccchhnnnooort... I agree with Jules, darling. You're going to be a sensation!” said Honey, Commander Hammond's daughter and Dr. Mainlett's new squeeze – a human/war boar relationship was accepted better than you might think in Heion village!

“Please, come back someday... I'll miss you!” said Suki, breaking her cycle of quiet sadness in order to lean forward and give Tenka a peck on the cheek. The android blushed, distracting from his embarrassment by delivering his final goodbyes.

“Thank you all so much for everything you've done for me... I promise I'll return someday, after I've seen and experienced what the world has to offer. Good luck getting the war boars back to Oinkengaard!” called Tenka, having already taken to the sky by the time he utters his last few words. After flying for a few minutes, Tenka left the valley for the very first time and was filled not with a sense of fear, but with hope for the future.


Total Word Count = 7505
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I'd really appreciate it if someone could review this PS before the end of the day - I'd really like to have the SP for my weekly training.
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Tenka - 7,502 [2 Words Over.]

50 EXP
10 SP
3 RP
+7%
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